The subtle defensive movements were not lost on Viviana. Her senses had been honed by several yahren on the street, where survival from day to day meant paying attention to every nuance of her surroundings. Her free hand itched for one of her daggers, although she knew the odds of a young woman carrying a trunk under one arm weren't very good against three trained mages. Not to mention that her knives were currently unavailable, packed into that very trunk. The only article that hung from the belt she wore over her kirtle was the pouch that contained her juggling balls, and they certainly wouldn't be of any help. She supposed she could swing the trunk if she absolutely had to.
What am I thinking? she berated herself.
If I make a move against them, they will certainly turn me away... that is, if they don't kill me first. Perhaps this is a test of some kind?
The tense moment passed quickly. She relaxed a bit as the old man reached for his tea. Apparently he had decided she wasn't a threat.
Or I passed the test, if indeed it was one.
"Welcome, Miss Kelayis." The registrar intoned.
Viviana curtsied again, and set the trunk on the floor beside her.
He made a gesture with his free hand and a scroll of parchment unrolled itself on his desk. A second gesture sent a quill hopping into the inkwell and then onto the paper. She could see it write her name at the top of the page and wait expectantly.
The young achadhiel stared at the moving quill, fascinated.
Is he moving it with his mind, or is there some other force at work? She leaned a bit closer to get a better look as she listened to the registrar speak. She sensed a slight distortion in the air, a feeling she was rapidly learning meant that magick was being used. It had been particularly strong right before she had entered the portal.
"I do not know if the news has spread to you but you have arrived on the jungle island of Sierra." The registrar explained. "The University has relocated here under mysterious circumstances. However, we are still in the business of training magicians. You have come to the right, if not the expected, place." He assured her. "I have a few questions and then we shall arrange for you to evaluated by a professor. Please tell me what preparations you have made for a career in magic and what type of magics you hope to learn here." He instructed.
“I came from the Citadel, sir,†she said, “so of course I know it has moved.†She had even seen the emptiness and gaping holes where it had once been, since it would have been hard to believe if she had not seen the proof for herself. She had been forced to change her plans quickly and make arrangements to travel through the portal instead of simply walking as she had originally intended.
She had not quite wrapped her mind around the idea of Sierra, though. The lifelong Citadel inhabitant had no experience with jungles. For some strange reason, an image of herself swinging from vines came to mind, like the drawing of a monkey she had once seen in a book. She could hardly wait to explore it though.
She thought for a moment before she answered the old man's question. “I was not aware you could prepare for magick, sir," she said, looking him straight in the eye, "but I feel that my most important qualifications are the willingness to learn and the ability to tackle problems with both intelligence and logic. I can also push away any interfering thoughts so that I can better concentrate on the task at hand. And I can sense the use of magick. It's like a ... a tingling ... in the air. Sometimes I can almost see it.
"What would I like to learn?"
The identity of my father, but I can't tell you that now. “I think exploring a broad spectrum of magick would be best at first,†she said. “That way I can discover where my true talents lie. I have no doubt I will eventually specialize, but I would like to investigate all my options before I decide.â€
Her gaze moved to the quill again, hovering in mid-air. “How do you do that?†she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her good sense. “Is it easy or difficult to learn?â€